Figure 1
Flowchart of study selection.
Table 1
Summary of studies reporting recurrence of COVID-19 cases after discharge.
| STUDY | COUNTRY | STUDY TYPE | NO. OF RECURRENCE CASES | NO. OF DISCHARGED PATIENTS | SAMPLE FOR TESTING | AGE (YEARS) | MALE/FEMALE | NO. OF CASES UNDERLYING COMORBIDITY | TIMES FROM ONSET TO ADMISSION (DAYS) | TIMES FROM ADMISSION TO DISCHARGE (DAYS) | TIMES FROM DISCHARGE TO POSITIVE CONVERSION (DAYS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alonso FOM | Brazil | Case report | 1 | Respiratory swab | 26 | 1/0 | 34 | ||||
| An J | China | Observational | 38 | 242 | Nasal and anal swab | 32.8 | 16/22 | ||||
| Batisse D | France | Case series | 11 | Naso-pharyngeal swabs | 55 | 6/5 | 7 | ||||
| Bongiovanni M | Italy | Case series | 2 | Nasopharyngeal swab | 0/2 | 2 | |||||
| Cao H | China | Observational | 8 | 108 | Deep nasal cavity or throat swab | 54.4 | 3/5 | 0 | 16.3 | ||
| Chen D | China | Case report | 1 | Oropharyngeal swab | 46 | 1/0 | 8 | ||||
| Chen J | China | Observational | 81 | 1087 | Throat swab | 62 | 30/51 | 29 | 12 | 9 | |
| Chen Y | China | Observational | 4 | 17 | Oropharyngeal, nasopharyngeal, and anal swab | 32 | 2/2 | 18.25 | 11.25 | ||
| Duggan NM | US | Case report | 1 | 82 | 1/0 | 1 | 7 | 39 | 10 | ||
| Fu W | China | Case series | 3 | Nasopharyngeal swab | 48 | 1/2 | 12 | 9.3 | |||
| Gao G | China | Case report | 1 | 70 | 1/0 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 12 | ||
| Geling T | China | Case report | 1 | Pharyngeal swab | 24 | 1/0 | 0 | 10 | 8 | ||
| He F | China | Case report | 1 | Throat swab | 39 | 0/1 | 10 | 13 | 8 | ||
| Hu R | China | Observational | 11 | 69 | Nasopharyngeal swab | 27 | 7/4 | 3 | 10 | 14 | |
| Huang J | China | Observational | 69 | 414 | Nasopharyngeal and anal swab | 28/41 | 22 | 3 | 20 | 11 | |
| KCDC | Korea | Observational | 83 | 269 | 28/41 | 14.3 | |||||
| Li J | China | Case report | 1 | Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal samples | 71 | 0/1 | 14 | ||||
| Li XJ | China | Case report | 1 | 41 | 1/0 | 19 | 9 | 19 | |||
| Li Y | China | Observational | 6 | 13 | Oral swabs, nasal swabs, sputum, blood, faeces, urine, vaginal secretions, and milk | 51.3 | 3/3 | 3 | 10.2 | ||
| Liang C | China | Observational | 11 | 22 | Throat swab | ||||||
| Liu T | China | Observational | 11 | 150 | Throat swab | 49 | 6/5 | ||||
| Loconsole D | Italy | Case report | 1 | Nasopharyngeal swab | 48 | 1/0 | 0 | 15 | 30 | ||
| Luo A | China | Case report | 1 | Throat swab | 58 | 0/1 | 7 | 15 | 22 | ||
| Mardani M | Iran | Case report | 1 | Nasopharyngeal swab | 64 | 0/1 | |||||
| Peng J | China | Case series | 7 | Throat swab | 4/3 | 16.7 | 10.1 | ||||
| Qiao XM | China | Observational | 1 | 15 | Nasopharyngeal and throat swab | 30 | 0/1 | 14 | 15 | ||
| Qu YM | China | Case report | 1 | Throat swab and sputum | 49 | 1/0 | 4 | ||||
| Tian M | China | Observational | 20 | 147 | Pharyngeal swabs | 37.15 | 11/9 | 7 | 2.5 | 18.65 | 17.25 |
| Wang P | China | Case report | 1 | Throat swab | 33 | 1/0 | 8 | 21 | 15 | ||
| Wang X | China | Observational | 8 | 131 | 48.75 | 4/4 | 0 | 11.375 | |||
| Wong J | Brunei | Observational | 21 | 106 | Nasopharyngeal swab | 43.1 | 12/9 | 17 | 13 | ||
| Xiao AT | China | Observational | 15 | 70 | Throat swab, deep nasal cavity swab | 64 | 9/6 | ||||
| Xing Y | China | Case series | 2 | Throat swab and stool tests | 1/1 | 6 | 15.5 | 6.5 | |||
| Ye G | China | Observational | 5 | 55 | Throat swab | 32.4 | 2/3 | 0 | 10.6 | ||
| Yuan B | China | Observational | 20 | 182 | Nasopharyngeal swab or anal swab | 39.9 | 7/13 | 6 | 5.1 | 20.8 | 9.45 |
| Yuan J | China | Observational | 25 | 172 | Cloacal swab and nasopharyngeal swab | 28 | 8/17 | 15.36 | 5.23 | ||
| Zhang B | China | Case series | 7 | Throat and rectal swab | 22.4 | 6/1 | 15.4 | 9.7 | |||
| Zheng KI | China | Observational | 3 | 20 | Salivary and fecal | 7 | |||||
| Zhou X | China | Case report | 1 | Oropharyngeal swab | 40 | 1/0 | 6 | 16 | 7 | ||
| Zhu H | China | Observational | 17 | 98 | Sputum and pharyngeal swab | 54 | 5/12 | 4 | |||
| Zou Y | China | Observational | 53 | 257 | Throat swabs | 62.19 | 23/30 | 29 | 4.6 |
Table 2
Epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 recurrence cases.
| CHARACTERISTIC | NO. STUDIES | NO. OF RECURRENCE CASES | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 34 | 379 | 41.7 |
| Male (no., %) | 39 | 233 | 542 (43%) |
| Times from onset to admission (days) | 13 | 52 | 4.8 |
| Times from admission to discharge (days) | 22 | 276 | 16.4 |
| Times from discharge to positive conversion (days) | 31 | 464 | 10.4 |
Figure 2
Forest plot for meta-analysis of COVID-19 recurrence prevalence.
Figure 3
Forest plot for meta-analysis of comorbidity among COVID-19 recurrence cases.